Après Tout
by Evangelina Amaryllis
Summary: A little gift I made for a friend. Zidane, Dagger and all associated themes with Final Fantasy IX are (c) Square Enix.


He'd promised her an incredibly special day. "Don't you be late!" He'd insisted, but she had no idea what he had prepared for her. There were five minutes remaining before she had to be ready for their outing, but all her clothes were still strewn across her room in a mess, with her standing in between them wearing her underclothes. Finally, she settled on the one thing she hadn't tossed in her bed's direction: the clothes she'd travelled in with him. She wondered if they would still fit her, and pulled them on, her mind filled with nostalgia.

He groaned, his tail moving from side to side as he tried to choose the right flowers for her. She had been reading up on the meanings of flowers recently, and if he chose the wrong one, he would be in for it. She had said before that red flowers are incredibly bold; she wouldn't like them. Perhaps some pink roses would do? But he couldn't have them there alone. She liked the colour yellow, but yellow meant Jealousy. He settled on a simple bouquet of pink and white roses, with some baby's breath tossed in. He had to make the day just as special as he had promised, if not more.

She stepped out of her room, leaving the clothes on the floor for later cleaning, and immediately heard a knock on the door. He had his own key, so why would he knock? She couldn't help but roll her eyes a little bit as the plonk-plonk of her boots on wood echoed around the house, before she opened the door to see him looking just as dashing as he always did. That cocky, lopsided smile that held a hint of bashfulness always made her heart leap about her chest in a flurry. It was hard for her to believe that he was hers.

When he'd made the decision to knock on the door, he had been going for the traditional 'date' setting. He couldn't help but try to hide his face behind the flowers, smiling at her as he always did. She looked just as beautiful, no, even more beautiful than she had throughout their travels. He could see the way her eyes shone with pleasant surprise, and that small twinge of wanderlust that had never really gone away. Her smile, her slightly raised eyebrows... Everything about her had his tail wagging like a dog's. It was hard for him to believe that she was his.

"Um, shall we get going?" He asked, instantly causing her a great deal of embarrassment.

"Y-Yes! Just give me a moment to get my things." She left the door open and rushed inside, completely forgetting to welcome him in. Then again, she knew he wouldn't have much difficulty making himself at home. He did, after all, practically live in her home. She sprinted into the house, as quickly as her little feet could carry her, and imagined herself as a little mouse scurrying through from one wall to another. With a tight grip on her satchel and a quick check through for everything she could possibly need, she rushed back to the door.

He couldn't help but laugh as she ran back into the house. It was just like her to forget things when she was nervous, and he found it so endearing. She looked like a little mouse, scampering through from door to door. Normally, he would have walked in and sat down, maybe even started on some tea, today was different. Today was a real Date. They didn't have many belongings, so collecting them all was easy. The cottage would stay until they returned to it, and he knew they needed to get going if everything was going to follow his plan.

Clutching her things, and the beautiful bouquet he had brought her, the ex-princess walked swiftly to try and keep up with her companion. His steps were swift, large and impossible for a normal person to keep up with. After all, he was many things, but normal wasn't one of them. Everything about him was extraordinary, and right now, what was most extraordinary was the number of times he could mock her for her lateness. It was all in good fun, and she had grown used to it, but for some reason, she always found herself blushing and going bright red at everything he said to her.

He revised the words in his head between jokes, making sure to let his nervousness out in the form of mockery. He could always think of something to make fun of about her, be it her lateness, her blush, or, if he couldn't think of anything else, he would embarrass her by whispering sweet words into her ear - that one always worked. Everything had to be perfect, and as the sun shone brightly over their heads, he knew their timing was great so far. He hoped things wouldn't change.

Their first stop was a glen in one of the forests they were passing through. It seemed like they had gone a long way in the short time they had been travelling, and the monkey boy had decided that this was a good place to stop. Her legs had made signs of aching, and she needed a short break anyway. With a meek smile, she sat down on a large log on the floor. She looked behind her to make sure she was well-seated, before turning back. She was surprised to find that he had disappeared, and wondered if this was supposed to be a game of Hide and Seek. With that in mind, she looked around cautiously, a smile sneaking onto her lips during her search.

Her smile was wonderful to look at, but the squeak of terror that emerged past her lips was even better. He had placed a simple white flower in front of her, and waited for her to register what was happening. Turning her head around, he felt her hair brush past his hand, and suddenly felt like he wanted to play with it. Because he was a man of his whims, he reached with his other hand and stroked her hair, letting himself smirk as he always did. Her face went red, as he had predicted, but she was happy. He knew that as she closed her eyes to let him put the flower in between her chocolate coloured locks. It's petals went through her hair, looking like pale anomalies amongst the strands of dark hair. Taking her hand, he silently led her out of the glen and onwards for their journey.

As they walked, she noticed that his eyes kept darting up to the sun, as if he was using it as an hourglass counting down to some important event. She didn't bother dwelling on it; after all, a man of his whims couldn't be relied on to always think with logic. With that in mind, she traversed the woods with him, their only company the soft whizz of life around them, and the rhythmic disturbance that was the crunching of their feet on grass. As the blades broke, one by one, she took in her surroundings, the smell of fresh dew in the morning, the smell of honey and flowers and herbs... It was all so pleasant to her, and there was nothing more she could ever imagine herself asking for.

Sunset was upon them, and they were right on time. He smiled as they arrived at a clifftop. They could look straight at the horizon and the sunset would blind them. Turning to her, he raised his hand in the air. She looked so confused, but then again, it was to be expected. He had, after all, never shown any signs of knowledge regarding the art of dance. "May I have this dance?" He whispered, the wind joining his voice and spinning around them. Her hair leaped upwards, and she quickly took his hand. Her other hand rushed to his shoulder, and he found her stepping closer to him, as if the wind was a beast, and she was afraid of it. His fingers closed over her waist and he pulled her into his embrace, and to the beat of their racing hearts, they danced.

The sun was a blinding vermillion sphere behind them, and she wondered when he'd learned to dance. Maybe it came with all the other secret skills he had developed from his agility. Suddenly, a soft noise invaded her senses, overwhelming her with emotions of joy, surprise, and above all else, love. "Alone for a while, I've been searching through the dark..." As she regained her senses and grew accustomed to the beautiful melody of his voice, she joined him. Her voice was barely above a whisper, but soon, they were serenading each other as they swayed to-and-fro, the sky and land sharing their crimson shade as one.

As the sky grew dark, he took her hand and spun her around on the spot one more time. Her hair flew out of its ponytail, the heavy hairband tumbling down the cliff into the dark abyss beneath them. She didn't seem to take notice, and if she did, she didn't seem to care. His fingers crossed hers, clinging to the frail, delicate skin, tracing around her ring finger. The thought drifted past his mind, but then again, he never once forgot about it. It was lingering, resting quietly in the deepest crevices of his mind. He sighed softly and lowered her to the grass, hoping she would comply with his wishes until the very end.

She'd lost track of time, and found him pulling her down to the ground. She followed his lead, looking up at him as her hair fell over her shoulders and covered her right eye. His hand brushed it away, tucking it gently behind her ear and silently demanding its obedience, and hers. Something about his stare made her unable to say 'no' to him. It was completely impossible for her. In the darkest nights, in the most sorrowful of times, he was always with her, protecting her, watching over her, and she couldn't help but-

He grinned as her eyes were illuminated by the bright lights above them, clearing taking her out of her trance. He gazed into her shimmering eyes, wondering if she was happy. She had proved to be quite easy to amuse, so he could only imagine she was beside herself with joy at the sight of nature's most powerful exhibitions of beauty; the tantalising lights cascading through the dark canvas above them, leaving behind them a simple trail of life that slowly died away. Their lives were brief, their presence transient. Their ephemeral glow mesmerised them both, but he was enraptured by something much more beautiful - her.

Their eyes fell from the sky, to each other, and soon their heads descended down to the grass. As their eyes closed, they pressed into each other, a gentle smile on each of their faces.

Their names, you may ask? They stopped using them a long time ago, for who else would they speak to with such love and affection? Surely it goes without saying that such a beautiful love story would only exist between Zidane and Dagger.


End file.
